Sharing the 630m Band With The Coast Guard

VE7CNF June, 2026

Amateur 630m Band in Canada

In Canada the Amateur 630m MF band covers 472-479 kHz with an allowed signal bandwidth of 1 kHz and power up to 5W EIRP. It is open to operators with Basic with Morse Code, Basic with Honours, and Advanced qualifications. This information is available in reference (1).

The Amateur 472 – 479 kHz allocation is shared with the Maritime Mobile service. The following excerpts from reference (2), the Canadian “Table of Frequency Allocations,” cover the Amateur allocation and adjacent maritime mobile MF allocations:

415 – 472 kHz MARITIME MOBILE 5.79
5.82

472 - 479                      MARITIME MOBILE 5.79 (radiotelegraphy and NAVDAT)
                                        Amateur 5.80A (5W EIRP maximum)
                                        5.82 (no harmful interference to 490 kHz)

479 - 495 MARITIME MOBILE 5.79 5.79A
5.82

495 - 505 MARITIME MOBILE 5.82C (NAVDAT)

A search of the ISED Spectrum Management System, reference (3), shows that the only Canadian licenses in the 472 – 479 KHz range are held by the Canadian Coast Guard for Amphitrite Point, BC.

Amphitrite Point Coast Guard Station

Following is a summary of the MF and HF station licenses for Amphitrite Point, BC as of June, 2026. Note that the Canadian “Radio Aids to Marine Navigation 2026,” reference (4), does not list any currently active services on the frequencies of these licenses. British Columbia Amateurs have not reported hearing Coast Guard activity on 478 or 500 kHz. These appear to be inactive legacy licenses.

All licenses listed below share this common information:

Callsign                                         XLK835
Location                                       48.925N 125.54638889W (in the water W of Amphitrite Point)
Operating Range                      20 km
License In-Service Date         2024-08-07
Licensee                                      Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Canadian Coast Guard
                                                        9860 West Saanich Road, IOS Room 2610,Sidney,BC,V8L 4B2
                                                        Account Number 013080000490

478 KHz CW Telegraphy License

Frequency          478 KHz, license ID 1372587 (Rx) 1372588 (Tx)
Emission              100 Hz bandwidth CW telegraphy for aural reception
Tx Power             1000W, ERP 543W 27.35 dBW
Antenna              Gain 0.9984 dBi, vertical polarization, omnidirectional
                                Ground elevation 6m, antenna height 10m

500 KHz AM Telegraphy License

Frequency          500 KHz, license ID 1372587 (Rx) 1372588 (Tx)
Emission              2.1 KHz bandwidth AM telegraphy for aural reception
Tx Power             4000W, ERP 2173W 33.37 dBW
Antenna              Gain 0.9984 dBi, vertical polarization, omnidirectional
                                Ground elevation 6m, antenna height 10m

2-4 MHz HF SSB Telephony Licenses

Frequency          2.0554 MHz, license ID 1372575 (Rx), 1372574 (Tx)
                                2.1049 MHZ, license ID 1372576 (Rx), 1372577 (Tx)
                                2.1834 MHz, license ID 1372582 (Rx), 1372583 (Tx)
                                2.3414 MHz, license ID 1372578 (Rx)
                                2.4594 MHz, license ID 1372579 (Tx)
                                4.1264 MHz, license ID 1372584 (Rx), 1372585 (Tx)
Emission              SSB Telephony, suppressed carrier
Tx Power             100W, ERP 61W 17.85 dBi
Antenna              Gain 0.9984 dBi, vertical polarization, omnidirectional
                                Ground elevation 6m, antenna height 9m

There is a pending application (dated 2026-04-01) for a 1kW 518 kHz FSK Navtex transmitter at Amphitrite Point, with different antenna specifications from the 478 and 500 KHz licenses.

Antennas at Amphitrite Point March 2026

All MF and HF licenses for Amphitrite Point list the antenna “model” as “long wire.” However, the antenna specifications (front/back ratio 0 dB, polarization vertical) don’t fit with my understanding of a “long wire” antenna. Four vertical antenna towers were observed at Amphitrite Point in March, 2026. Two have wire cages and may be intended for MF operation. Two are towers with high-voltage insulators on the guy wires, probably intended for HF.

Amphitrite Point, BC (48.923N 125.541W). A hiking trail passes near the antennas.